Reflections on the Day
Don’t you hate it when you’ve passed on one of your worst traits to your children? When I was a child I had two lovely silver capped front teeth. When Boo was a toddler, I discovered that his two front teeth were rotting away. A quick visit to the dentist and it was confirmed and a few weeks later he was under general anesthesia, getting caps put on.
It was a tough day. I can’t remember exactly, but I think they gave him something to drink and he slowly went to sleep in my arms. He went completely limp and he looked…well, I’m sure you can imagine. They whisked him off, wrapped up the blanket we brought along for him. I caught a glimpse of him later, as I passed the room on the way to the bathroom. He looked so small and helpless. The procedure went well and he slept most of the rest of the day. We’ve never looked back.
Bip suffered the same genetic fate. I discovered his decaying front teeth over the summer and we sought out a pediatric dentist. The first dentist visit was a complete disaster on all counts. So we found another one. He was so much better and attempted twice to fix Bip’s teeth in a way that would not require anesthesia. Both times were a failure and so today he went off to take a nap courtesy of the Goofy Gas (as my mom called it) and get caps put on.
He and Phil left in the dark hours of the morning. I stayed at home with Boo and Pumpkin Girl. We ran a couple of toddler-free errands and commented on how quiet the house was. While we were out, we got the call that all was well and Bip and Phil were on their way home.
It’s funny how your perspective changes over time. When Boo had his teeth done, my parents joined us at the dentist’s office, just to lend support. I had to step out of the office to regain my composure as they took him away. Today, 7 years later, I was just a little worried, but I knew everything would be fine. I thought it would be best not to drag everyone out in the cold, just to sit in the waiting room for hours. Plus, I had some things I wanted to do.
So what was different? A stronger faith and an acceptance that there are certain things I have no control over? Time, age and experience? A long to-do list? Not any one thing I think, but a combination. It’s funny, though, how your perspective changes.
Bip came home, no worse for the wear, with a new squeaky frog toy and a band-aid over his hand from the IV. He cried when he saw me and said, “Mama, ow” and showed me his hand. I took off the offending bandage and we all loved on him. He was only gone a few hours but we missed the silly guy. We settled back in to finish school and he sat on the couch, still in his pajamas and sipped milk.
It’s good when a day like today turns out perfectly fine. We thank the Lord and continue on. Some days, we get to be the lucky ones.
I remember that day, 7 years ago, when we took Boo to have his teeth fixed. It definitely was a tramatic experience for the adults. As I remember, they gave Boo a shot, while you were holding him, and he went “out like a light”. Your Dad and I had to go outside to gain our composure.
Yes, 7 years and four grandchildren later, we have learned that God is in control, so why worry. But we always sigh with relief when everything turns out well and we thank God for watching over our family once again 🙂 Mom